Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Liberals All Talk and No Give...

"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." -John Adams

A new book by a Syracuse University professor, Arthur C. Brooks ("a child of academics, raised in a liberal household and educated in the liberal arts"), backs up what Conservatives have been saying for years...

Those of us on the RIGHT side of the aisle are WAY more apt to generously part with our money for charitable causes. In fact the book (using actual data) shows that "The average religious conservative gives 100 times as much as the non-religious liberal". And don't even say "you're the richer party" because that's a bunch of bull... I'm not richer than anyone -and neither are many of my conservative friends that went as far as to give up their family's grocery money in the weeks after 9/11, the Tsunami and Katrina...

"In the book, he cites extensive data analysis to demonstrate that values advocated by conservatives -- from church attendance and two-parent families to the Protestant work ethic and a distaste for government-funded social services -- make conservatives more generous than liberals.

When it comes to helping the needy, Brooks writes: "For too long, liberals have been claiming they are the most virtuous members of American society. Although they usually give less to charity, they have nevertheless lambasted conservatives for their callousness in the face of social injustice." (source)

This is from the Editor's Book review on Amazon (you can tell by the tone it seriously pained them to have to concede this in print):

“Surprising proof that conservatives really are more compassionate--and more generous--than liberals

We all know we should give to charity, but who really does? Approximately three-quarters of Americans give their time and money to various charities, churches, and causes; the other quarter of the population does not. Why has America split into two nations: givers and non-givers?

Arthur Brooks, a top scholar of economics and public policy, has spent years researching this trend, and even he was surprised by what he found. In Who Cares, he demonstrates conclusively that conservatives really are compassionate-far more compassionate than their liberal foes." (source)

What it all boils down to:"Secular liberals who believe fervently in government entitlement programs give far less to charity. They want everyone's tax dollars to support charitable causes and are reluctant to write checks to those causes, even when governments don't provide them with enough money.

Such an attitude, he writes, not only shortchanges the nonprofits but also diminishes the positive fallout of giving, including personal health, wealth and happiness for the donor and overall economic growth.All of this, he said, he backs up with statistical analysis.

"These are not the sort of conclusions I ever thought I would reach when I started looking at charitable giving in graduate school, 10 years ago," he writes in the introduction. "I have to admit I probably would have hated what I have to say in this book."

Still, he says it forcefully, pointing out that liberals give less than conservatives in every way imaginable, including volunteer hours and donated blood." (source)

So, to sum it all up for my liberal friends... ;) On a serious note, I have always found this to be true...with the exception of one of my brothers who has always given his time generously to various causes.